Huey
Loading for the 45 ACP Mini-Howdah..
Sunday, August 25, 2019, 13:53

For starters the TC Contender is much stronger than the 1911. This is pretty much a no brainer, but...

Several things lined up perfectly on this project. The barrel is 7" to start with. That extra 2" makes a difference as powder capacity increases. The barrel has a long, smooth throat which allowed me to seat bullets out. This gives much more powder capacity and puts the bullet closer to the rifling.

For me, the 45 deserves heavy bullets. I started with 230 grn FMJ-FP. These things hit like a brick and penetrate well.

The normal length of a loaded 45 ACP is around 1.250" I believe. I loaded mine to 1.355". Now I realize that 1/10th of an inch isn't much. But, it makes a huge difference in the pressure curve.

By using powders such as AA#7 and Longshot, I reached 1200 fps with the 230 grainers. That's getting dangerously close to 44 Magnum Revolver powder.

The long seated bullets eliminate any possibility of these making it into an auto. Accuracy is about 1" at 25 yards with the Millett Red Dot.